A DAREDEVIL granny has skydived 13,000ft to help fund research into the disease that killed her husband.

Jenny Farthing, 71, from Winchester, raised more than £2,000 for the Brain Tumour Research charity, by freefalling from than two miles, above Wiltshire countryside.

She joined the Red Devils Parachute Regiment Freefall Team, on Tuesday July 9, at Old Sarum Airfield.

The challenge was inspired by the death of Jenny’s husband, Guy Farthing, a garden designer diagnosed with an inoperable low-grade brain tumour at the age of 60. He underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy but died two years ago.

Jenny, who has a 10-year-old grandchild, said: “Many of my friends and family members thought I was crazy for completing the skydive but I was determined to face my fear of heights in support of Brain Tumour Research. Having previously abseiled the Spinnaker Tower and tackled the London Marathon, this was by far the scariest fundraising challenge I’ve ever done.

“It was a fantastic day, in perfect weather conditions, and I made memories that I will never forget. I was very grateful to the British Army Red Devils Parachute Regiment Freefall Team, who gave me excellent training, and I felt in very safe hands. My instructor said I was the calmest student he’d ever taken on a tandem skydive. I would also like to thank everyone who donated to my JustGiving page.

“I will never forget how quickly Guy deteriorated in the last weeks of his life. It was heart-breaking to watch him struggle to read a book or understand the sports results as they came in. Even putting on the kettle became too much of a challenge. My greatest fear was always that Guy’s personality would change but, for him, becoming bed-bound was the scariest thought and sadly was something that did eventually happen.

“Since Guy passed away, we have really come together as a family and I feel very thankful to have two such wonderful relatives have been my rock through all of this. Losing a partner after nearly 50 years together was never going to be easy and I have tried very hard to make sure that I make the most of the life I have, as I’m sure Guy would want me to be happy and have fun.”

Jenny’s skydive place was donated by Cargostore Worldwide, one of the world’s fastest growing suppliers of shipping containers, who are a sponsor for the Red Devils.

Michael Thelwall, head of community fundraising for Brain Tumour Research in the South, said: “Jenny is a remarkable woman and we are very grateful for her continued support. She was incredibly brave for taking on the skydive challenge and we hope that she inspires others to fundraise for Brain Tumour Research. We would also like to thank Cargostore Worldwide for generously donating Jenny’s place.”

Nicky Milan, head of marketing at Cargostore Worldwide, said: “We were delighted to support Jenny in her fundraising and would like to congratulate her on raising an amazing £2,000. We are also proud to sponsor the Red Devils Parachute Regiment Freefall Team, which perform display jumps at major events and conduct around 350 tandem jumps every year.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated Centres of Excellence in the UK; it also campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. The charity is calling for an annual spend of £35m in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.

To donate to Jenny’s JustGiving page go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jennyfarthing-skydive